The Historical Construction Equipment Association’s 26th Annual International Convention and Old Equipment Exposition will be held Friday, July 8th through Sunday, July 10th, 2011 in Penfield, Illinois.

There will be demonstrations and displays of horse-drawn, gas and diesel-powered antique construction machinery, cable and hydraulic shovels and cranes, hit and miss engines, and antique trucks and tractors. Oliver and Cletrac equipment is being highlighted, and the featured machine is an Oliver OC46 crawler loader. Along with our demonstrations of antique construction machinery, the show will also include I & I’s tractor pull, sawmill, museum, Fairbanks engine, blacksmithing demonstration, and other attractions.

The Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1986, is the only organization in the world dedicated to preserving and documenting for public education the history of the construction, dredging and surface mining equipment industries.

Their National Construction Equipment Museum in Bowling Green, Ohio, has seventy construction machines from the early and mid 1900s, and a unique Archives that encompasses sales literature, photographs, repair manuals, business records and more for over 2,800 manufacturers of such equipment from the 1870s to the present day.

Show hours are Friday, 9:00 to dusk; Saturday, 9 to 5; Sunday, 9 to 3. Admission per person 12 or over is $10.00 daily or $25.00 for a weekend pass. The Saturday evening banquet will be held at the German Fall Festival Center, 101 South Main Street in nearby Gifford, and will include an auction and raffle. Banquet menu includes steak or chicken, baked potato, corn on the cob, salad, rolls, beverage and dessert. Price for the banquet is $30.00 per person.

There will be a tent for indoor vendors, and outdoor vendor, flea market and swap meet spaces are available through I & I. People movers will be available, and golf carts can be rented for approximately $70.00 per day on a first-come/first served basis. Call 866-275-2742 and request the Penfield show to make reservations.

Private carts are allowed, but must be registered at a charge of $10 for the weekend. There is no registration fee for displays or displayed equipment, but they must be registered upon arrival. Onsite primitive camping is available first-come/first-served for $20.00 for the weekend. Campers are advised that they should be self-contained for water, electric and sewer.

MOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: Mention HCEA for reservations and convention rates for the hotels listed below. ALL PRICES PER NIGHT, TAXES ADDITIONAL.

Quarters Inn & Suites, 200 Linden Avenue, Rantoul, phone 217-893-1234. This is the HCEA feature hotel and HCEA Board Meeting location, 11 miles to show site. $60 per night for all rooms, includes continental breakfast.
Days Inn, 801 West Champaign Avenue, Rantoul, phone 217-893-0700. 11 miles to show site. $89 double bed, $85 king, $75 queen, includes continental breakfast.
Best Western Inn, 420 South Murray Road, Rantoul, phone 217-892-9292. 11 miles to show site. Double queen $81, includes continental breakfast.
Paxton Inn Motel, 980 West Ottawa Street, Paxton, phone 217-379-2316. 20 miles to show site. King bed $58, double queen $54, no breakfast.
Drury Inn, 905 West Anthony Drive, Champaign, phone 217-398-0030. 30 miles to show site. Double queen $129, king $119, includes full breakfast and Happy Hour with hot food.
Best Western Riverside Inn, 57 South Gilbert Street, Danville, phone 217-431-0020. 30 miles to show site, $70 single or double, includes continental breakfast.